Here is my example. I graduated from the university and I got a good education. And after graduation, I had the impression that some invisible force had triggered a mechanism, I do not know, of liquidation. Everything I did fell apart, I changed a bunch of different jobs, and I always set some goals and never achieved any of them. All my plans were doomed to failure. And the interesting thing is this. I thought, well, it's okay, I have more experience, more knowledge, more connections, and I know certain niches very well. And that means I can easily organize my business in a certain area. I was wrong, seriously wrong. I tried to start a business for six months, I did, believe me, everything possible and impossible. I juggled with reasons, but nothing worked for me, absolutely nothing. Meetings were canceled, roads were blocked, people disappeared, I don't know, accounts were blocked, no money, and cars broke down. That's what was happening, and it was all to my disadvantage. And then I realized for the first time that it's not even about me or the quality of my attempts. There is clearly a force against me that I cannot overcome, no matter how much I want to. I was even sure that if I came to a spring to drink water and this power was not favorable to it, the spring would just dry up in front of my eyes. I realized then that there is a power that you can't just deal with, and He is against my intentions today, that's all. And that was the first wake-up call for me. Time went on and, as they say, you want to eat. I went to get a job, I was about 23 years old, I think. I changed a lot of jobs, I worked as a civil servant, as an economist in a private company, as a sales manager and fitness instructor, as a security guard in several institutions, and even as a loader for a few days part-time. I was in this mode for about 4 years. Until one day I was sitting at work and I had the idea, the desire to try my luck in business again. I had the strongest confidence and motivation. I was sure I would succeed. I had no idea what I was going to do. But I just knew with a hundred percent certainty that the very force that was against me even then, 4 years ago, was on my side today for some reason, that's all I was sure of. Anyway, I quit my job. I met my friend the same evening. And I suggested that we start a business together. He asked what kind of business, and I said I had no idea. Guess what? My friend immediately told me that he wanted to offer me something to consider. He immediately gave me a proposal. He had it all figured out and he had a business plan. Literally the next day, we agreed on a deal with our future business partners. You will be surprised, but after about 5 months everything fell apart. We had unforeseen problems. Our business was gone, literally, in a day. Just like it started, it was over just as quickly as it started. But for some reason, I wasn't discouraged. On the contrary, I had a kind of enthusiasm that was not peculiar to me, and I managed to make some money during that time. There was no long break and now, after a few days, I came up with the next business idea by myself and offered it to another friend. He gladly accepted. We are still working together today. And the most interesting thing is that I, an economist by education, had nothing to do with the kind of business we decided to do. And it all worked out well for us.
I am convinced that it is all from the Almighty. Both my friend and I were in a very difficult financial situation at that time. There were no prospects, but we both had strong faith. In all of this, you know what's amazing? I began to follow the actions of the very invisible force that was helping us move forward in our work. I began to analyze what was going on around me, and I began to notice certain patterns, because this force was subservient to absolutely everything around me, from the smallest to the largest: how clients were found, how problems were solved, and so on. In the beginning, it seemed that they were unsolvable, that we had to give up, but every time, somehow, everything was solved by itself, thanks to some miraculous reasons. And that was the second call in my mind. I remembered that this power had once shown me its might, its omnipotence. It had already proved to me that absolutely everything depended on it, and only it gave success and defeat not only in work but absolutely in everything. I thought, if this power wants to, it will help me even now. And if it doesn't, even if I kill myself day and night, I won't succeed. There was no point in killing myself. My friend and I literally came to stable growth in a few months, and everything was so easy that we didn't even have to try to think of anything or learn anything. The Lord has given us just enough so that we do not depend on anyone and do not have to ask anyone for anything. All praise to the Lord, the Creator. We didn't have to be crazy or nervous or fussy. We just had to rely on our Creator and do our best, that's all. After all, as the Scriptures say, if a person's main concern is worldly life, the Almighty will make him torn between a hundred affairs. But for those who want eternal life, God will make them focus on the main thing, fill their hearts with spiritual happiness and self-sufficiency, and worldly life will fall at their feet whether they want it or not. So the point is that ideally, you should be out of finance. Not that you should turn away from finances, but you should not run after them like a madman. Ideally, their absence or presence should not affect your inner world, your inner state, or your mood. In this regard, I can tell you from personal experience that if you do not change your attitude toward money, you will become a slave to money and spend your whole life, your only precious life, in a rat race for a balloon. So don't go crazy, don't let money influence your mood or your inner world, moderate your appetite. You really need very little to be happy. The problem is that we surround ourselves with people who dictate our way of life and try to impose their rules, their judgments, and the level to which we should supposedly conform. And that's why we think that if we don't have money, or not enough of it, or if we don't have the cars that our friends drive, or if we don't have the clothes of a famous brand, or a new house, or a modern apartment, then we are supposedly humiliated. But in reality, it is not like that. We simply put ourselves in a frame, we are influenced by our environment, that's all. I want to emphasize once again that I am not calling for giving up money and not trying to earn it. You should do that, but you should not put that goal in the first place, you should not dwell on it. If you give in to the influence of others, to their pressure, and you are financially poorer than they are, you are preventing yourself even more from concentrating on making money. All your energies go into thinking that you are something that you are not, that you do not fit into your social circle, all these worries are not only wrong but destructive in every way. The problem with most people is that they have bad friends and a sinful social circle. All kinds of clubs and hangouts, constant hookahs, coffee shops, restaurants, sitting in cars, drugs, alcohol. This is not the life God created us for. We all need to learn how to really live, learn how to get useful knowledge, and start worshipping our Primary Source, the Creator. We must learn to please our loved ones more, to find mutual understanding, and to make them happy. We will be specifically asked for them. Engage in sports, see how you can be useful to people around you, go to charity funds, help those in need, work as a volunteer, and do what you can in the way of good. You will soon need just such a supply of things to do. But not money or earthly riches. You're not taking any of that with you. To change anything in your life — change yourself.